Help! - Piston Circlip Installation

Hello again,

The rebuild continues, but I got utterly frustrated last night attempting to install the piston pin circlips!

I bought some 90 degree angle pliers from Sears specially for this job but without fail I can't get the circlips compressed enough before they slip out of the pliers and go whizzing into the void...

There then follows a frustrating 1-20 minute search for the circlip before I repeat the process!

Grrrrrrrr! I had to give up last night, I was getting so angry!

Any "trick" or tool or procedure to do this?

Any replies much appreciated.

- roGER

If you are using plane old circle clips, not spiral locks (sp?), then you need to put little notches in the tips of the pliers to make better contact with the holes in the circle clips! Also cover over the ports around the rods and case to prevent the circle clip from inadvertently migrating into your long block. Also use the pliers with the removable tips so you can replace them if you over notch them and they break, that way you will not have to buy an entire new tool!

I used a couple of small screwdrivers. Just pop one side of the clip in the groove and hold it in with a finger, then, kind of lever the other side so it snaps in. Biggest fear is loosing the clips inside the longblock as pointed out. Good luck.

Its been a while, but years ago Alfa Ricambi, (Treason, I know,) gave me a sweet miniature Swiss army knife with a small strong flat blade with a little hole at the end. Fit the end of the circlip in. Start the other end in the grove as in the screwdriver method above. Hold it with the finger and use this to control and guide the other end where it needs to go. Perhaps you don't even need to hold the other end in as the grip is really good with this simple device. Not fool proof, but the rag over the holes that go down into machinery keeps me from being a fool most of the time.

When you install the circlip, install one side first, and use a screwdriver to hold and push the remaining clip in place.

Steve